Running Away Never Works
by NightVSlash985
Summary: When Jason wakes up and finds himself with the League of Shadows, he tries desperately to find a way out. However when he encounters Damian, he finds himself being an older brother for the first time. How will he escape the League of Shadows, take care of Damian and find a way back to Gotham? Jason POV Rated T for Jason's Languge
1. Do I Look Like A Fucking Teacher?

Running Away Never Works

Disclaimer: I do not own anything batman or batman related. All rights belong to DC universe.

Do I Look Like A Fucking Teacher?

"Wake up"

That's all I hear over and over again, every day. But the voice isn't Batman, am I in heaven? I doubt it, but the voice is so gentle and smooth, so angelic that I am content to just sit here and listen to it all day.

One Week Later

I was frustrated, there was was no other way to describe it. Talia keeps avoiding questions about Bruce and everyone I meet here are all "doom and gloom" and I'm downright bored of them. My strength's no longer gone, thank god, so I decided to take my frustration and boredom out on the furniture in my room. Luckily were always replaced and Talia never said anything of it, which is why I'm here right now shattering another priceless vase and pummeling anther chair made by some long dead famous craftsman who I didn't give two shits about when I heard footsteps coming towards the -I refused to call it mine-room.  
"What the fuck do you want?" I ask , my voice harsh,not bothering to turn around. After a week of having no _sane_ human contact, though my own sanity is questionable, I've become very irritable. I want answers, and I want them now. Talia was of absolutely no help dodging them like they were bullets and she was in a bullet reflecting room.

"My darling, that is absolutely no way to speak to someone who has been caring for you and giving you a place to stay"Talia said softly, the perfect picture of a caring had been nice to me ,but I didn't trust her, why? She was simply being _too_ nice, her dad might have been one of Bruce's more ...honorable opponents but her dad was still an opponent so I doubt her dad wants her taking care of me and using his own personal lazarus pit. She had to have hid this from her daddy, and I doubt she went through all that effort out of the goodness of her heart.

"I don't _want any_ of your fuckin' hospitality, I want to go back home!" I snarked, I know she wants something but I don't give a flying fuck about that, I want to go back to Bruce to show him that I'm alive and well.

"Jason, do keep your tone in check, it is weary of me to receive this kind of welcome every time I visit" Talia replied, her voice weary and gentle.

"I never fucking asked you to visit, I never asked to be kept here and I sure as hell never wished for the joker to fucking kill me," My voice came out louder with each word, lashing out viciously until they were barely intelligible. I was about to continue with more examples from my shitty life, when suddenly I felt the door open behind me. I quickly whipped my heads backwards so fast I think I gave myself whiplash and what I saw left me speechless. A kid. But he wasn't looking _at_ me, he was looking past me at _Talia?_ And she was staring straight the hell?!I out I accidentally said it out loud as the kid and Talia teared their eyes off each other and focused on me instead. better clear some things up now.

"Talia, why the hell is there a kid-"I pointed to the kid, granted he was the most arrogant and haughty looking kid I have ever seen and was looking his nose down at me but still a kid."here?This is a place for _assassins,_ Talia, not a fucking daycare."I was about to continue on with my thought when the kid interrupted me.

"Mother, why ever would you allow such a _rude_ servant here?" The kid sneered at me his eyes looking me up at down in an inspection and judging by the expression on his face I had failed it. so much for kid, he could not have looked less unkid like at the moment if he tried. Then a sudden word registered into my mind, mother. Talia was someone's mother. But who was the father? Talia didn't really sleep around that much since she was absolutely in love with Bruce,,,,,oh gods. This kid in front of me right now is a product of Bruce and Talia. I said the only thing that came into my mid at the moment.

"Talia, What the fuck?!"

Talia let out a soft sigh"I supposed I should have known that this would have happened sooner or later. Jason this is Damian, he is my son. As you seem to have guessed, yes he is a product of mine and my Beloved's time together. Damian meet Jason, he is your father's other child." Talia said, her voice tired

"Mother, you mean to tell me _this-this person_ is a son of my father's? He is my _brother?"_ Damian asked with growing horror, his face snapping out of its superior look replaced with a stunned look.

"Yep kiddo. You also have another big brother, he's an acrobat. If you think i'm unbearable you haven;t met him yet" I said sadistically, my best shit eating grin on my face.

"Jason as of today you will be given one hour a day to talk to Damian and educate him about the outside world, since he is growing curious. Damian, come, we will have to talk about your punishment for directly disobeying my orders." Without another word Talia turned on her heels and left, with Damian right behind her.

Wait, what the fuck just happened? I not only learn that Bruce and Talia have a child(I will be talking about this to bruce when-not if ,I refuse to question if I will ever get back-I get back, I could just imagine his red face when I ask about some of the more _explicit details._ The second thing is I somehow get stuck with giving babybat lessons? Since when did I become a fucking teacher? I sure as hell don't look like a fucking teacher, but since Talia is the one letting her kid hang around assassins i'm not sure she has the best judgement.

Author's Note: Things will become more fast paced as the story progresses and you will be seeing more of Damian next chapter. I am not yet sure about the update schedule but I think I'm going to be updating sometime tomorrow? At least once a week if you like the story be sure to follow, like or review. Thanks and have a good day!


	2. A Clown, A Crowbar And One Naive Kid

A Clown, A Crowbar And One Naive Kid

The Next Day

I'm lost, what's more i'm lost at 5 in the fucking am I awake at 5 am? Because i'm fucking stupid. At 3 am i had come up with the _genius_ idea to give baby bats his lessons, after all Talia never said _what_ time to give the lessons, just how long. This could be payback for making me die of boredom for a week, if i'm miserable i'll make sure everyone else is too. So i'd decided to teach baby bats lessons about the outside world and since Talia didn't specify what she meant I'd decided to teach him about some of the finer things in life, chili dogs and fast cars. The kid didn't _look_ like he'd had a fun childhood and I was going to change that. What I didn't think through was how the fuck I was going to find him in a huge compound that i've never so much as looked through before, hell I bet I couldn't find a _single_ bathroom(this place has 100 something, from what Talia once told me)if I drank 30 bottles of water and hadn't taken a piss for 3 myself I'd probably go in the nearest corner, but _still._

"What are you doing here, Wayne?"

I jumped about a foot in the air and yelped like a startled cat, only partly because he had scared me out of my thoughts, the other part was because of what he'd called me. _Wayne._ Wait a second does that mean he knows about Bruce? If he does then why didn't he call me Todd unless...he didn't know I was "adopted"?

"Wayne, I asked you a question and I _demand_ you answer it" Baby bats said looking put out that he was ignored. Guess that didn't happen .Well, guess I might as well look like I know what i'm doing.

"Why, babybats, i'm hurt-"I said mockingly, placing a hand on my heart in feigned merely gave me a slightly confused look, I continued.."-And it was only yesterday too. I'd thought you'd remember, when Talia said for me to give you lessons?"I made sure to give a wolfish grin afterwards, but for some reason he didn't even blink. I mean, here I am at 5 o clock saying i'm giving him lessons and acting like a general psychopath who has no sense of time and barges around at the most ungodly hours and he doesn't even seem _fazed._ In fact he just nods then, much like his mother, turns on his heels and ,I shit you not, _struts_ over to a room and enters. I follow behind, feeling like i'm missing something _very_ important. Sadly, detective work never was my forte, having always preferred pickpocketing,and I guess all those times of not paying attention to daddy bats has finally come to bite me in the ass.

The room does not look like a place a kid would live in, hell it looks more like something found in a palace, it also looks a hell a lot like my room, so very impersonal. How could I use this information to help in my escape plan?"Hello, I got lost while trying to find the bathroom so decided to break into this locked room?"No, how about"See, I thought this was my room since that chair over there looks a lot like mine" sounds even worse. Fuck this, i'll do it the Jason Todd way, winging it, hopefully no crazy clowns and crowbars will be involved this time. Looking at my shitty luck and track record though, I wouldn't hold my breath.I gave the room another "casual" once over before saying "So this is your bedroom? What, no _Cars_ poster or at least _Harry Potter?"_ I was just trying to get a rise out of him to learn new information, I am _not_ curious my brother. Nope, not at all.

"I do not read such frivolous novels, they are meant for plebeians and peons. I am an Al Ghul and have no time for those _childish_ things" He sniffed out disdainfully. Wow, who knew a kid who's barely 5 foot could look his nose down at me. Huh, i seriously have to learn that, I bet it would annoy the hell out of Dick if I did that on him.

"Well, what _do_ you do then?" I was a bit curious as to what a little kid would do all day, since he didn't reply though I decided to try a different tactic. Talia mentioned that he was curious, right?

"You know, back at the manor I would always read, sometimes _Dad_ would read to me" I said, waiting to see if he has any reaction. After all Bruce did read to me, I just left out the fact that he reads textbooks aloud to me thinking I would learn more and get better grades since some bullshit test said I'm a "auditory learner". Damian immediately turned around when I said "Dad".

"Well, I do read, I have just finished War and Peace in Arabic and will"History of wars:1000 page edition 10" with one of my tutors today"Damian stated in a bored manner, but his eyes were alight with excitement, probably since I mentioned Bruce.

"Tutors? How many tutors do you have?" I asked, after all all information was good information, right?Someone might ask me about tutors on my way out. Yes, i'm very aware that i'm lying to myself. There's a reason people say my sanity is "questionable".I feel kinda pathetic,though, listening to him I mean at that age I was stealing tires and being a general pain in the ass, hell he's accomplished more than I have even _now,_ the only comfort I have is that he's Bruce and Talia's son, 2 fucking _perfect_ pedigrees while I have a drug addict and a motherfucking scumbag to my name.

"12, excluding you. I am trained and excel in every type of martial arts.I can speak 8 languages fluently, as is expected as a heir." Babybats said, not arrogantly, more like he was relaying information that had been said to him many times. I wonder if Talia has something to do with that? I store it all away to contemplate tonight.

"Skilled in _every_ form of martial arts?I doubt that, in fact lets make a bet mini B, if I can beat you in a form of martial arts that I choose we have to do an activity I like, if you win we can do whatever you want. Deal? "I ask with my signature crooked and cocky grin, my hand outstretch.

"Deal, and what is the martial arts of your choice?" Damian said, his face as impassive as usual, however i threw him off guard when I had called him mini B

I'm aware that Damian might be arrogant but he wasn't stupid, he knew the odds so I'm certain his bite is as vicious,if not more, than his bite. If he inherited Bruce and Talia's analytical mind, lets hope he also inherited their pride and God damn stubbornness too.

"I don't know kid it might be too hard for you" I say, followed by a heavy sigh.

"It is not! I _demand_ as an Al Ghul to be told the challenge. I can handle any form of challenge!" He said heatedly, his "heir" mask falling off to reveal a face similar to a kid throwing a tantrum. Damian, for all his acting was still just that, a kid.

"Fine, fine, the challenge is-" I pause dramatically."who can pickpocket the other first wins."

"I shall do it, Wayne" Damian said, he was about to _lunge_ at me before i hold up a hand.

"I already won-"Then taking out a knife I had found on the floor yesterday after he and Talia left, twirled it around, baring my teeth."this is yours, right"

"There it is! I've been searching the whole night for it, what were you doing with it you imbecile?" This time he really did lunge into me before taking the knife and clutching it with both hands. I hold up my two hands in an "easy there" sign

"Ohhh, so that's what you were up at 5 am for. Mind telling me what a kid like you is doing with a sharp pointy object?"

"None of your fucking business"Then he stalked over to the door and is about to dramatically slam it like a teenager who had hit puberty, when I hold up my hand and counting on his pride and hoping that this works call out" What baby bats? Afraid to face the consequences, is that why your breaking the deal?"He turns around so fast I swear he broke the sound barrier and says with gritted teeth""What the _fuck_ do you want?"

"To tell you about my life, Gotham anything in general that your wondering about, that's why your mom hired me, right?" I try to make my voice as placating as possible, trying to mimic Dick, but even to my ears it sounds like I'm trying to talk in falsetto. The strange look he gave me before replying does not comfort me either.

"Fine, I wish to know more about father and-" Here he looked around making sure no one was listening before saying "I wish to know more about _Harry Potter,_ whatever it that I care" Right. It's kinds comforting to know that underneath all the "heir" crap he's still a kid.

"Gotcha, make yourself comfortable cause this is a long story,I do have a catch-"Here Damian tenses up"-for every story i'm gonna teach you one slang word and one normal everyday life experience you should have already have."

"Wayne, I _highly_ doubt the "normal life experience" you are talking about stretches to everyone, even excluding myself"

"I know, I didn't get them either due to shit parenting but I'm about to change that for you" I say, kinda excited about this, but judging from his raised eyebrow and unimpressed look maybe I should've left the part about "shit parenting" out.

That Night

I couldn't sleep, whenever I try to my mind wanders of to a certain crowbar. A clown.A reckless and cocky kid. A timer ticking. Those thoughts scare me,but sometimes it's not me who's broken and bloody,it's Damian, & for some reason that affects me more than i'd ever admit.

At the start of this week I've had the perfect plan, learn more about this place, get the hell out of here, find a way back to Gotham and try to forget this whole thing. Now however, knowing that Damian's my brother and learning more about his life, thinking of how fucking _eager_ he is to learn about dad and how goddamn much he wants to please his mother, I just couldn't leave him. He reminds me too much of a kid who was so eager to please his father, but never did no matter how god damn hard he tried. After talking to him I could see that underneath all the high and mightiness, there was just a kid, I could see through him like a bat saw through my "tough-guy" act on one night that feels like a lifetime ago. Leaving him is not an option, staying here isn't either. Taking him with me seems to be the only solution. But what if _he_ ends up being robin, I could see so much of myself in him and I just fucking know he'll follow orders as well as I did, which will lead to getting himself killed. Fuck it, my head hurts. I've had this on my mind for hours and have not come up with _anything_.

Great going, Todd. Eventually I fell into an uneasy sleep, my mind riddled with thoughts of clowns,crowbars and a kid with an arrogant as hell expression on his face.

* * *

Author's Note:I plan on having him and Damian really connect next chapter, and hopefully things will start becoming more organized(?) Favorites, Follows & Review's are greatly appreciated! I'm not very picky about reviews so one line will make my day :) However for some reason I cannot see any reviews right now, something about a glitch in this site? I'll reply to them as soon as I can view them. Also I really need a beta reader so anyone interested can you pleases PM me and tell me your strengths/weaknesses? Thanks a lot and have a good day!


	3. Cheeky Bastard

Cheeky Bastard

One Week Later

I'm not getting any sleep these days. Was this how it was like for Dick when I went to his bed with my night terrors? Did he secretly love it like I do? I know it's bad, but whenever Damian comes to my bed late at night with a question to cover up for the fact that he'd had a nightmare, I always feel so _important_ , like someone needed a few days, i'd imagined that this could last forever before Damian told me something vital. He'd told me that Talia was going away on a business trip next week. I'd been dragged back to reality and faced with an impossible choice. Sadly, I spent all my time contemplating it at night, resulting in one sleep deprived zombie.. Me and Damian's morning arrangement hadn't help my sleeping schedule, or rather our routine.

So far me and Damian have settled into a routine where everyday at 5 in the morning he would come to my room(I still haven't gotten any better at directions, and after 2 days of waiting for an hour in his room, we decided it was easier if he just came to mine). I would answer any questions he would inevitably have and dance around the ones about my death( He didn't need to know all the gory details, he might have seen worse but to me he is still a kid).Then I would ask questions about him, his life, Talia and the compound in turn. Talia, seeing that I rant at her less after spending time with Damian, increased the time to 2 hours. However she didn't know about the nightly visits. Yesterday's night visit though had broken my heart, along with giving me a sense of déjà vu that I _really_ didn't need. He had come to my bed and asked "Will he like me?", his face pleading and eager. No kid deserves that, to lie awake at night, wondering if your own father will like you, wondering if you will ever be enough for him. It made my blood boil, but I don't give Talia shit about not telling Bruce about Damian or at least giving Damian some comfort because that was he goddamn job as a mother, mainly because if I do she might lessen my time with Damian. God, the little kid has grown on me, more than I'd care to admit. The first time he called me "Jason, not "Wayne",I think my heart burst with joy. I don't think I can bear to leave him, and sometimes I wonder if this is what Talia wants. To use him as leverage, to keep me from escaping? I don't doubt it. The door creaks open interrupting my thoughts , revealing a small figure, Damian. Damian treads over to my bed silently, the haughty kid from a week ago all but gone.

"Jason? What are you doing?" Damian asked, his eyes curious. I remember how he had been at first, so guarded, but now whenever I look at him I see someone similar to me. A kid who just wants love, Bruce gave that to me and now I owe it to Bruce to give it to his son. Damian made his way over to my bed and settles down next to me. I owe it to him to tell him the truth and not tell Talia, I have to trust him.

"Damian, remember what you told me yesterday? I ask, trying to keep my voice light. However ,Damian seemed to know where this was going, because his face immediately fell.

"Your leaving" He stated matter-of-factly. His face immediately became guarded again, but I could see the hurt there. Was I this easy to read back then? Probably. "When do you plan on leaving?" He asked, trying to keep his voice uncaring, but his voice wobbled at the end, something that only happens when he is _very_ upset.

"Look at me." I say forcibly, knowing that this is the only way to keep him from crying right here, he obediently looks into my eye, showing the betrayal and hurt there."Can I trust you not to tell anyone?" I ask, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible, to not let him know that inside i'm pretty much freaking the fuck out. I have to be the adult here.

"yes" Damian replies, even though he sounded unsure, i know I can trust him from the sincerity in his eyes. Good.

"Damian, I am giving you a choice If you refuse, you can just pretend this never happened. If you accept, I have to warn you, your life is going to get a hell of a lot more fucked up." I'm not good at the adult thing, I'm trying to channel Bruce when he talked to me about robin, but i'm pretty sure Bruce didn't swear. I'm also pretty sure he didn't make the second choice sound so myself. IS it too late to back off now? _Don't be a coward, Todd_ You've died before, this is nothing. Taking a deep breath and praying to every god out there, I ask"Damian, do you want to come with me?"

His face lights up like a christmas tree, looking at me like _i'm_ some kind of god. So I guess I _am_ pretty good at this after all, never mind the fact that my only competition is an absentee emotionally constipated father, crazy, bitchy and bipolar mother and a pedigree obsessed, villain grandfather. The worst part is, I'm pretty sure i'd _prefer_ having his family, rather than a mother who abandoned me to the joker and a dead beat father, Bruce at least has an excuse.

"I will never get to see mother again, will I" Damian ask's, promptly snapping me out of another pity party. I really have to stop throwing them. Damian sounds resigned when he says it. I know that i'm gonna get a shit ton of bad karma for this, but i'm _ecstatic,_ since this means _he's gonna come with me!_ Trying to sound understanding I nod, preparing to unleash my trump card.

"I'm going back to Gotham, I'm going back to Dad" I say, trying not to sound too excited, since I didn't want to affect his decision and have him regret it later.I'm prepared to wait for several hours or even days for him to give me an answer. So the fact that it takes him less than 5 minutes says something about either a) Talia's shitty parenting or b) My awesome teaching. Anyone else would say A, but I prefer to think it's B, after all an example of A is when a kid is desperate enough to go to a guy who dresses up as a bat at night. An example of B is a kid going with a almost sane guy who just happened to have died( _Cough_ *Talking about myself* _Cough_ )

"I'm going with you. What is your plan?"Damian's tone was incredibly matter-of-fact and _definitely_ did nit belong to a 8-11 year old (I really _should_ get around to asking his age) Wait, hold up, _my plan?!_ Shit, will he back out of it if I say my plan is to "wing it and pray for the best"? But I can't do that now, I have a _kid_ with me. Oh shit, what the hell ave I gotten myself into? _Evade!_ A voice that sounds suspiciously like Batman screams in my mind. Right. Evade.

"I'll tell you tomorrow, right now let's go to sleep. We need our rest." I say in what i call my "comfort/mimic of Dick's" voice.I rub my hand on his back and he seems to relax and fall asleep. Phew. _Success!_

Then he says "You have no idea, do you?" before falling asleep for real. Cheeky bastard, I think with a soft (though I would deny it later) smile, before drifting off into a deep, slumbering sleep.

Author's Note: Did you catch when Jason thinks "cheeky bastard"? I thought it'd be funny since Damian is kinda technically a bastard (am not saying this in a derogatory way) So, I know I said I'd move things along and I admit that this is moving slowly, but you could probably tell where things are going (hopefully).I promise that next chapter will have more action, or at least move the story along, since some of you might be getting impatient. I can read your reviews now!* does a happy dance*. I've been replying which I don't know if you should do or not, so I hope it doesn't annoy you. Anyways, hope you enjoy this and please leave a follow, favorite or review. Thanks for reading this and have a good day!


	4. I Swear I'll Stop Eating Bread

I Swear I'll Stop Eating Bread

The Next Day

"Oh, _Jason"_ Donna says, her voice breathy."Your _my_ hero" Her _long_ legs on either side of me, wearing a tiny red-"Jason!" What? That doesn't sound like Donna? I groggily open my eyes, to see someone who is definitely _not_ Donna.

"Jason, _finally_ you are up"Damian says, sounding impatient. His eyes looking at me expectantly, like he's waiting for something. What? What is he-oh. _oh._ He want's me to tell him the plan. Right. Time to wing it, if I could wing a speech about some long dead guy who invented something or another, I could wing an escape plan. Nope, I am _certainly_ not panicking. Not at _all_.

"Right, kid. The plan that you are probably interested in that I am about to tell you. The plan is-" I motion for him to lean in close, to stall for time. Even though he rolls his eyes, he complies, leaning in eagerly. "The plan is for both of us to escape when Talia boards her plane." His face falls so face, I almost feel guilty fro not having something better. Almost.

"That is it? Our _lives_ depend on this and you only know the time?" His asks incredulously, his voice a mixture of disappointment and _what-the-hell-did-I-just-agree-too._ Yeah, I inspire this look in a _lot_ of people, so I'm used to it by now. I give him my signature reckless-and-cocky grin.

"Relax, babybird. Give me 15 minutes, you can even time me. I'll have an outline by then. Now i've gotta focus." I drawl lazily, even though I look and sound perfectly confident and relaxed, I certainly don't feel it. I close my eyes, willing all of Batman's training to come back. Focus. Instantly, my brain begins piecing all i've learned together to from one outline of what we have to do and by when. Time: While Talia is boarding her plane, all attention will be on her giving us time to slip out. Destination: A nearby country that has a Wayne Tower, since we're in the Middle East, Japan or China, then to Gotham. Method: Have Damian find a way out of the compound, since he knows it best. Change our appearances, rent a few camels or something, get to an airport. Make sure to lose them, cover out tracks. Deadline:Today is Wednesday, we have till Sunday to come up with a plan.

"Jason, your time is up" Damian says, he does not look like he believes I could come up with an outline in 15 minutes, or at least not one that he would trust his life with. He has never faced Batman's training.

"Ok, Mini B, the first thing is we have 5 days. So first day we look at geography, find a country with a Wayne Tower near an airport. Then we find a middle country, to lose them. We can find boats, planes, tours whatever. Anything to cover out tracks. When we're done we find fake identities, make passable passports and license. We make several. Second day we find ways out of the compound, find at precise time and make sure it's foolproof. We find camels or cars or whatever to ride on when we get far enough away from the compound. Third day we find a way to disguise our appearance, we already have the names and stuff in the passport. Fourth day we smuggle weapons and try to cause chaos so that all the staff become disorganized and have to panic to prepare everything for Talia. Fifth day we find money, and we put our plans to work. Any questions?" I ask, I felt confident. After all, this is _my_ turf. Sneaking around and smuggling stuff. Stealing money? Not a problem.

"I have several books on geography in my bedroom, we can go there, I have 3 hours before my lesson" Damian says, his shining eyes, full of excitement belying his neutral tone. 3 hours. Damian has his first lesson at 7 in the morning so 3 hours must mean it's 4 in the morning. He woke me up from Donna at four in the fucking morning? Seriously?! I'm just about to give him a piece of my mind when suddenly he walks out of the room. Sighing, I follow him into his bedroom. He starts pulling out textbook sized books, throwing them into my arms. After he throws enough books to fill a library he nods satisfied, before walking out of the room and back into the room I am currently staying in. Never mind the fact that my arms feel like they're _dying._

"Jason, we are to find a country now, with an airport that is nearest to a Wayne Tower" Damian commands, his face no longer that of a kid, but more like a mimic of Talia and Bruce, when he's Batman. Geez, here I am letting a kid order me around. Great job, I think sarcastically to myself before preparing for a _long,_ _torturous_ day of studying. I flip open the book and begin page with our backs hunched, we read the books with the intensity and speed of someone who's life depends on it.

We spend the next several days like this, sitting in complete silence for hours, waking up earlier and earlier, sleeping later and later.(I finally put an end to the early wake up calls after Damian woke me up _30 minutes_ after I fell asleep). We also created new rules for ourselves, the 5 hours of work, one bathroom break being my least favorite. But it's the only way to get all our work done. The room I am staying in is now looking like a messy library, books scattered everywhere, the smell of old books and ashes so overwhelming that me and Damian have to stuff our nose with tissues to not sneeze every other minute. Yeah, maybe burning papers _aren't_ the best way to get rid of them after all... oh well. I have never felt smarter in my life though, my head feels like it is bursting with information, I constantly press cold drinks on my head. Damian doesn't look much better, his eyelids drooping every 5 we get back to Gotham, I have a feeling I'm going to get all A"s in geography and history, if not I swear I'll stop eating bread. Yeah ,I'm _that_ confident about my knowledge, studying for 21 hours straight every day tends to do that to you.

"Jason! I must attend my evening studies now" Damian says tiredly, looking like he had just woken, the dark circle around his eyes making him look like a tan panda. I nod my acknowledgement, before double checking all our work and hiding all evidence that we have been studying and making plans here, in case Talia gets suspicious as to why a street kid would suddenly want to spend _hours_ reading. That's our pattern, every time he goes to his studies I double check our information, knowing that one little mistake could mean our lives, and then sleep. When he comes back I do work while he sleeps. Then, I wake him up and we both work nonstop until his evening studies again. Which means we both get a total of around 6 hours of sleep. Fucking hell, this is _not_ the ideal way to spend a Saturday. Hell it's not a good way to spend any day at all. I'm done with double checking the last page, so I slowly drift off into an uneasy sleep, my mind littered with random country names and sentences from how to change your appearance:101. My last thought before I black out is: Damn, I could be a makeup artist when we get back.

Author's Note: So to clear things up, the story starts of at Wednesday but ends at Saturday, meaning they have 2 more days before they can start the plan. Not a lot of action in this chapter, but I'm going to update again in a day or two so you won't have to wait long for the story to get going. If you like it favorite, follow or review. They are greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading this and have a good day!


	5. Most Anti Climatic Moment Of The Century

The Most Anti Climatic Moment Of The Century

Sunday

Well today's the day me and Damian have to get our plan together before we try to escape a compound guarded by trained assassins. Nope, that does not sound suicidal at all, never mind the fact that better and possibly brave men than me have all, _they_ weren't trained by Batman and they _certainly_ didn't have an expert in all types of martial arts (seriously, do _not_ question him on that fact, I did and my back is _still_ recovering) who knows the compound like the back of his hand by their side. Let's just forget about the little fact that he's a little kid who is barely 5 foot. Yeah the odds are _not_ looking good. The funniest thing about this is that out of _everyone_ in the batclan, I am the _shittiest_ person to take care of a kid. I know it, Bruce knows it, hell, the pizza guy probably knows it. I mean I've never even fucking _babysat_ before and now I suddenly have a kid who barely hit double digits and I am somehow supposed to escape this compound successfully while protecting him (No, I do _not_ give a _shit_ that he is trained, he is still my _baby_ brother so like hell i'm not gonna protect him), comforting him and keeping us both alive. A street kid taking care of a kid. We. Are. _Fucked_

I've never told Damian about these concerns. If I was with Dick or Barbara I'd load the responsibility onto them faster than you can blink, but since I'm the eldest here I'm the one with all these concerns. When I get back I will never disobey Bruce again (well, _maybe_ , with someone who really deserves it...), seriously, I think i'll get either a heart attack or white hair to match my white streak if I have to do this responsibility thing any longer. Damian is the most stubborn and hard headed kid I have ever met. He's sweet but he follows orders as well as Dick sings. Basically he fucking _sucks_ at it. Speaking of the devil-

"Jason, why is it that every time I enter your room, you are always staring at that white wall" Damian asked casually, stalking over to to sit on the bed I am currently occupying. Little kid will never know that he's the reason I spend staring at walls and feeling like a 60 year old man with too many children. Or a guy with too many Joker encounters, maybe that's why Bruce is so uptight? Good thing that motherfucker is dead now, who knows, maybe Bruce will loosen up. I still want that sexy, black motorcycle I saw the other day( or lifetime ago). _fuck yes._ Oh wait, kiddo's waiting for a reply.

"The same reason Bruce broods around. Now c'mon kid, do you wanna eat something or grab some bread?" I ask him, trying to keep my voice lighthearted and keeping my concerns and fear out of it. Fear. A feeling i'm very unfamiliar with. Cockiness, Recklessness, regret, I've felt all of those before. But never fear. Not even when the timer was ticking down to the last second, because I just _knew_ that Bruce was coming. How wrong i was. But i''ll make sure that Damian never has to face that, never has to be wrong about something so big. No one will make the same mistakes they made with me on Damian if I could help it.

"Jason, we have slept until 3 in the _afternoon_ ,eaten so much I do not think I could eat anything more. You made me eat 6 types of bread. I swear i'll never be able to eat it again." Damian says, his voice as close to whining as it could get. Seriously, right now he sounds like a typical kid with nothing to do on a weekend. Ohh.. so _this_ was why he came came here because he's _bored._ I felt the exact same way when I was Robin and when I was benched. Like I wasn't doing anything useful with myself. Hell, I would still feel the same way, but I have concerns and worries so I am occupied, while the kid went from sleeping and breathing plans and books to having nothing to do in the span of one day. Hmm... should I tell him a story? After the time I spent with him i quickly figured out that his favorite stories are of Robin, Batman and the ones about my experiences as a street kid. Surprisingly, he didn't give a fuck when I told him I'm not biologically Bruce, he just asked me to tell him stories about my street life. I know, what a strange kid. But he's _my_ strange kid and i'm the only one who gets to tell hims tories or force him to eat bread. I know that when we get back to Gotham things will change. After all, everyone prefers Dick over me and Bruce is the kids goddamn _father._ But for some reason I want to be the only one the kid comes to at night, the one he lets his guard down with. But maybe he'll be the first to choose me? After all a street kid and a child assassin sounds a shit ton better than a acrobat and a child assassin.

"Come here kid, let me tell you a story" I say, preparing myself for a dry throat tonight. However, it's worth it when I see his eyes light up and looking like a kid on christmas morning.

* * *

Monday Night

I feel the adrenaline as I mentally go over the plan, my heart pounding and my excitement growing every second. T _his is it,I_ _'m going home._ The words repeating over and over again in my head. For some reason I feel none of the fear from yesterday, sudden;y I feel certain, I feel brave, I feel like _Robin._ But suddenly I realize that...i'm not. I _can't_ be Robin. Robin is the sidekick to Batman, but this time I'm the leader and _Damian's_ my sidekick. But I'm not Batman either, so who am I? I don't have any time to think on it further though, since I hear the sound of people shouting. Guess they discovered the little surprise me and Damian left on the plane. Stealthily(Yes, I _can_ be quiet) I climb onto the roof, crawling on the ground so not to be caught by the lights. When I get to the middle, I feel for the fake wall near the right of it, before pushing it open and jumping down.

"Tt. Took you long enough" Damian says, looking relaxed. Strange, his "Tts" has come back. I file that away to ponder over later, then we run to the left, since we are in the wine cellar I doubt anyone is here. At least not when Talia is in a foul mood, since the plane isn't ready yet. After we reach a bottle of "Finest Grapes, Best Taste" we take a turn, then go straight until we reach the pure gold bottle then take a right near the silver shelf before pushing it open to reveal a pole( The shelves reach to the top of the ceiling and stretches out the whole compound) we shimmy up the pole, to see a narrow long passageway. The thing is this passageway is actually _inside_ the walls and has 2 entrances, however one is too near where the planes are crept. It's weird how rich people document _everything_ and yet expect it to still stay secret. Whatever, thanks to Patier Am Desh (guy who built the compound, important architect) and Damian's exploring I pretty much know the compound better than the for now we are stuck inside this passageway, unable to talk in case someone hears us, until we hear the plane leave, then during the commotion we break out. A way to make sure Talia really is on the planes we planted a bug that tracks if Talia really is on the plane. When I asked Damian how he got it, he gave me a "you don't want to know" face and I left it at that. After I count the 156 or is it 157(?) stitch on my jacket, we _finally_ hear the sound of an engine roaring, Damian nods his face, showing that Talia really _is_ on the plane we push a piece of concrete out, and wiggle out, pausing whenever the light shined on our side. After repeatedly wiggling and hiding I finally come out, Damian easily slides out afterwards. In the most anti climatic moment of the century, we are both out of the compound. No action, no fighting. I don't know if i'm disappointed or relieved. Suddenly a though clicks into my mid. We're out,we're free. This is it, one step closer to Gotham. The though overwhelms me since even though I _knew_ the plan was practically flawless and I double and triple checked everything, I still didn't imagine myself out of the compound. Damian's face shows the same range of emotion, disbelief and awe clearly displayed. We look into each other's eyes and the exact same thought rushes through. _We're about to go home._ I couldn't stop the smile from eating my face and neither could Damian.

Author's Note: So, been 3 days since i've updated. Sorry, but school is really busy. Anyways，if you liked this again favorite, follow and review. I feel like one of those annoying ads, enjoy the story and have a good day!


	6. Tuxedo Guy

Tuxedo Guy

Monday Night

It's official.I am no longer a traveling kind of person nor am I a studying kind of person either. Hell, I'm not even sure I'm a _living_ kind of person. The only kind of person I really wish I could be right now? The I-could-sleep-anywhere-anytime kind of person. Why? Because currently I have a kid on my lap and a group of deadly assassins after me, not to mention my legs hurt like _hell._ Did I mention my legs hurt? Yeah, running 60 miles in the dead of the night and having a kid sleep on it for 7 hours afterwards? Not the best idea. In fact, it might be one of the worst, only _slightly_ above telling Bruce you wanna kill people. Okay, so _maybe_ i'm exaggerating a bit, but trust me, not by that much.I've had to spend the last 7 hours staring at the same wall and sitting in the same cramped seat Who the _hell_ thought it would be a good idea to fit in 30 seats in a space the size of a fucking _shoe closet._ I have to admit Damian is pretty cute when he's asleep, curled up. He slept for 7 hours straight, he was so tired that when we got to the airport he did't even make his usual complaints about being an Al Ghul and whatnot, which i'm pretty thankful for.

When we had gotten out of the compound, we had run like death was after us, gasping and panting but never pausing. Damian had turned down my offer of carrying him, his Al Ghul/Wayne pride taking over him and for once I was grateful for it. During the run even though Damian sweated and _looked_ more tired than me, he was still as fast as me, which made me realize just how out of shape I am. Or maybe it's because Damian isn't a normal kid, is he? Whatever the case, the minute we get back I'm training. Right after 3 days of sleep, of we went onto a train to some tiny village in the middle of nowhere, where we then then had to go on a car to go to an airport. Even though me and Damian had wanted a less direct route to shake the League of Assassins off, we decided that the train ride and car ride along with our disguises and passports (Aleash is a _boys_ name, thank you very much) would be enough. Quite honestly, even if it wasn't I still wouldn't have enough energy to find a more complicated path. After all we did run 60 miles the night before and I don't think I can suffer through anymore _boring_ train rides with my legs half asleep. Suddenly a muffled sound could be heard, and the pilot began talking.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Unfortunately we are unable to take you to Gotham as news has come out that it was a part of it was just recently bombed by the Joker, however it was taken care of by the Birds of Prey. It has been sectioned of for the time being. All flight headed towards Gotham will change their destinations to Blüdhaven. Thank you for your patience and understanding." However focus on one word. Joker. My blood boiled with rage. Why the _fuck_ was that _motherfucker_ still _alive_ after he fucking _killed me._ I don't realize I am shaking with anger until Damian looks at me with concern in his eyes. He must have woken during the announcement. Okay Jason, no impulsive decisions. You've got a kid with you. Do what's best fro him. Sudden;y a feeling of determination floods me. Whatever happens I _will_ bring Damian to Bruce. I've had to grow up with out my father and I'll be damned if i let the same thing happen to Damian.

"Jason? I said "what are we going to do now that we are headed towards Blüdhaven?" Damian says, his voice sounding uncertain and worried. I must have been so spaced out, how many times did he ask- wait, _Blüdhaven?_ Where the fuck did that come from? I wonder if Dick still lives a lightbulb goes off. _That's it!_ I'll go to Dick, tell him about Damian and have _him_ tell Bruce. Me and him could work out visiting days, hell we might not even have to tell Bruce i'm alive, he could explain it. Now how to explain it to Damian without making him worry about me being angry at Bruce, since if he thinks I hate Bruce he might feel obligated to hate Bruce too, and no matter how fucking shitty Bruce is he doesn't deserve 's still the kid's father.

"Well, we're going to go find a friend of mine and you'll get to meet daddy dearest." I say, trying not to let any hatred leak into my voice, judging by his face though, I'd failed. Badly. However he didn't push the subject, he simply grabbed one of the books we had brought with us and began reading. I follow his lead. Pretty soon the pilot starts talking again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have now arrived at Blüdhaven. For your safety, do not take your seatbelt off until the plane has stopped. Thank you for choosing to fly with us and please come again."

I don't listen to him and immediately take my seatbelt of, Damian doing the same. Gods, I'm a bad influence, smiling inwardly. Both of us take our backpacks before heading off. However when we try to go to the last checkout point of the airport, a crowd is blocking the way. Reporters and journalists all crowd around, a guy in a tuxedo, shouting questions and snapping away. _I don't have time for this shit._ Annoyed, I hold Damian's hand before trying to shove my way through the crowd. I felt pretty good when I manage to part them, in fact I'm almost at the counter when suddenly Tuxedo Guy turns around for a brief second and I recognize him. Oh, _shit._ Maybe he didn't see me yet, I scan around frantically, trying to find a way out before he could see me, without attracting attention to myself. My hands feeling behind me to be, only met with a counter. Then suddenly the reporter next to me asks a question and his eyes swivel over to where I'm standing.

Author's Note: Well, does this qualify as a cliffhanger? I wrote this over 3 times, before being happy. I didn't know how to end it so I decided to try for a cliffhanger. Sorry! Anyways I'm hoping to update around twice a week or more, if you did like this chapter then favorite, follow or you fro reading this and have a good day!


	7. Why Does This Keep Happening To Me?

Why Does This Keep Happening To Me?

We managed to get out of the airport without any further incidents. Luckily Bruce had not noticed me at the counter, probably had something to do with all this cameras being shoved in his face. For some reason though I don't feel relieved, I feel strangely…..disappointed. Did I want him to recognize me? Gods, no matter how much I want to blame him for throwing the only chance he had of reconciling with me out the window. I couldn't really blame him, after all he did swear not to kill anyone, so why would he kill Joker for some street kid? Okay, so maybe I do blame him.

Suddenly I feel someone tugging on my arm sleeves. Damian, I have been so lost in my thoughts I completely forgot about him. "Jason, where are we going?" Damian asks, his voice hesitant and his expression completely nervous. Oh, shit. I had told him we were going to find Dick, but with the whole Joker fiasco and seeing Bruce thing he probably has no idea what I'm going to do. Hell, I'm not quite sure what I'm doing. Find Dick, after I find him I'll let him be the adult. Before I knew I was a big brother I would've jumped at the opportunity of having someone, anyone cleaning this mess for me, but now…. for some reason it just doesn't feel right.

"We're gonna see Dick, the friend I told you about and he's gonna help you find Bruce." I reply, making my voice as confident as possible and quite sure I'm failing miserably. Damian however also seems to be lost in thought since he nodded absentmindedly, his eyes looking elsewhere. After that our walk was spent in silence, what a sight we must be. A depressed looking kid and a lost looking guy, from any outsiders perspective I'm sure we look homeless. I spent every minute of the walk feeling like I'm walking to my own death, my only consolation being that he might choose me over Dick and Bruce. Likely. Sooner than I would like we stop at a familiar door, Damian looking like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world and I'm pretty sure my expression match his.

Suddenly a thought occurs, what if Dick had moved? I hope against all hope that Dick decided to move to a house, that he had been promoted elsewhere hell I would be happy if he decided to become a fucking villain and brood in a cave. What if I stall the meeting? I could stall the meeting, explain to Damian all the choices and trying to have him come to my side. Hell, I could buy us cellphones to make sure that when Damian goes to meet Dick and eventually Bruce, so if he doesn't like it he could reach me without me every having to come in contact with Bruce.

Could it be that simple? My head is reeling with all the possibilities and just as I'm about to turn around to explain them to Damian and get out of here before anyone else see us, my plans are crushed as the door swings open hitting me in the face. My last thought before I black out is 'Why the f*** does this keep happening to me?'

"Is he awake? Oh, I think he's awake. Do you want some more ice? If you need to go to the hospital I could pay for it, if that's what you'd like." What? I open my eyes groggily, before immediately closing them immediately closing them from the sheer pain from the light. I sit up on the sofa, trying my best to channel my inner "Ward of Billionaire" smile, since I'm pretty fucking sure I'm going to need it to explain why I don't have a name and have a kid with me.

Since Blüdhaven is a sister city to Gotham, everyone here knows Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne's son and I doubt I could explain why a person who is supposed to be dead is alive. I suppose I could use my fake name but for some reason I can't for the life of me remember it. Is short term memory a side effect of coming back from the dead? Oh, wait. He wants an answer. Out of desperateness I start looking around, at least as much as I could through my hazy vision, hoping to find a name somewhere. I answer the other question to stall.

"Well, yes I would like some more ice. My name is-"

"Jason," Damian says at the same time I say my fake name, sauntering into the room with a ice pack in his hand, well what I'm _pretty_ sure is Damian.

"Earl Gray," I finish, shooting Damian a murderous look while Damian gives me a 'Are-you-kidding-me?' look. I don't really blame the kid, I mean Earl Gray? (I feel like this would be a question he'd ask himself.) For some reason my other fake name suddenly seems like the better choice.

"Ummm…what?" The guy asks again, for some reason his voice strangely familiar.I couldn't clearly make out his face no matter how hard I squint. It couldn't be Dick, could it?But I already bumped into Bruce Wayne today, Mr. I never leave Gotham unless aliens are invading, no way I get Dick head not on the same day. My luck couldn't be that bad, right? I shoot Damian a look to keep silent.

"Earl Gray is my real name, you see my parents are big fans of tea, my brother here is Lipton," I say smoothly, trying to sound aristocratic. I must have succeeded though, since he merely nods. Damian's starting to rub off on me.

"Yes, those are our real names, however usually we tend to go by Jason and Damian," Damian says in a snooty tone, (sorry snootily isn't a real word) seeming to catch on to my idea. Gods, Alfred would be proud his lessons in manners have finally paid off. I try to shut off the part of my brain that's thinking of Alfred since my heart feels like someone has stabbed a hot crowbar into it. Because yes, I hold grudges.

"Alright" He says slowly, drawing out the "i", before extending a hand. "I'm Richard, Richard Grayson." I shot up so fast I ended up falling off the couch, my expression the perfect epitome of a deer caught in head lights.

Author's Note: Alright so first I would like to thank kitten1313 for beta-ing this chapter. Then I would like to apologize for the extremely long wait. I'm going to update again next week or later since I have three math tests and a project due next week.I just corrected this chapter since someone posted a review saying "couldn't he recognized him?" Lol, I seriously shoul've thought of that. Anyways if you like this *siri voice* please favorite, follow or review. Thanks for reading this and have a good day!


	8. Truth Be Told I'm Fucking Ecstatic

Truth Be Told I'm Fucking Ecstatic

Well, this isn't what i have been expecting. Upon seeing my face, Dick has been doing nothing but impersonate a goldfish. Now while I admit it was funny the first five seconds, it got a bit creepy the next few minutes. Damian isn't looking too impressed either, and well, I don't want to give that bad of an impression of Dick do I? So being the self sacrificing hero that I am, I decided to try and break the silence.

"Hey." Wow, way to let me down brain. I swear there has been something wrong with me since my resurrection, I mean Earl Grey? At least it can't be mistaken for a girls name, right? Apparently though my weak attempt was enough to send Dickiebird out of his trance and he immediately starts speaking.

"Earl Grey?" He says, his voice laced with incredulity. I inwardly wince at the reminder. Not one of my finer moments. So maybe it isn't the world's best name, but does everyone have to be a critic? I mean sure, even if it is a horrible name, it's still my horrible name, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let someone named Dick criticize it.  
"For your information, Earl Grey is a perfectly reasonable name. Dick, on the other hand…" I trail off, knowing that this is definitely going to provoke him. I could seriously use some entertainment right now. However, I'm proven wrong since instead of giving me some lame-ass comeback. His eyes slide over to where Damian is sitting, his eyes growing to the size of Frisbees.

"Uhhh…Jason? Who's the kid?" Dick could not have sounded more tentative if he tried, his face slowly growing with horror. Golden boy is afraid of kids? Then realization strikes and I burst out into a fit of laughter. Oh gods, who knew messing with Goldie is so much fun? It's not often that I hold all the cards and I doubt it's going to last, so I fully intend on drawing out the misery for as long as possible.

"Oh he's not mine, but you do know his father." I say coyly, making him work for the information because fuck it, this is the most fun I've had in a long time. It might sound pathetic but considering what I've gone through, it shouldn't surprise you. After that though we sit in the most awkward silence. Me still laughing with mirth over his suggestion, Damian with his superior mask back on and Dick looking like someone had repeatedly hit him on the head with a crowbar. Because again yes, I hold grudges. Though after a few moments Dick finally seems to have caught on.

"Bruce?" He asks, his voice faint and dazed as I pretend to make the buzzer noise from a TV show.

"Ding! You are correct" I say, lowering my voice, enjoying this too much than is probably healthy. I am slightly disappointed that he got it so soon though, conveniently ignoring the fact that I had taken longer to come to the same conclusion. Seriously, if I had known dying meant that I could have this much fun, I would've offed myself back when I was a street kid. Dick on the other hand, doesn't seem to be enjoying himself as much as me. In fact he seems to be having an aneurysm. Once he recovered though, he decides to bombard me with questions.

"What's his name? How old is he? Does Bruce know?" He fires the questions off in rapid succession. I don't even have time to answer them before he promptly envelopes Damian with a hug. Damian looking horrified, tries to struggle around Dick's grip and fails miserably. I'm just glad that it isn't me he's attacking. After Damian has sent me several 'Help me or I'll kill you' looks, I decide to intervene.

"Let the kid breathe, Dick. I mean I know your excited about have a little brother but Jesus," I say, off handedly. Dick releases Damian faster than I could blink, before looking at me expectantly to answer the questions.

"Well, to answer your first question. His name is Damian," I say, not volunteering any more information. I'm hoping that it makes me look defiant, not clueless but, judging by the looks the both sent me though, they aren't too impressed. In fact, Dick seems to have decided to take matters into his own hands.

"So, Damian, how old are you?" He asks, using a soft soothing voice. Shit, if this is what I'm up against, I'm fucking doomed. My attempts at this voice don't even come close. Damian simply cocks his head to his side, looking Dick up and down unnervingly.

"Ten," he states simply, short and clipped. However Dick is not dissuaded and beams back with an impressed look, one that any other ten year old would probably fall for. Lucky for me, Damian isn't just any normal ten year old, if he was I wouldn't even stand a fucking chance.

"Ten?! That's great! So, do you want to meet your dad?" Dick asks, his voice so enthusiastic, you would've thought Damian was his own kid. Subtle, Dick, subtle.

"I already did," Damian says curtly, his lips curled in he isn't a big fan of the whole cheerful thing. Hell I bet Dick is the only cheerful person he has ever met, unless I am serenely misinformed about Talia and her organization. Before Dick could lose his shit again I decide to explain, since I'm pretty sure Damian isn't going to do it.

"We saw Bruce at the airport Dickhead. And as for the meeting your dad part? It's completely up to the kid," I say, my smirk growing as a plan forms in my mind. Damian looks shocked at my answer, sending me a panicked look that makes me feel guilty. I send a reassuring look back, before turning back to Dick with the smirk back on.

"Jason, what are you doing?" Dick asks, never one to indulge in these mind games. At least, not when he's bound to he doesn't know is. Either way, I'm not planning on seeing the fucktard who let my murderer live and I fully intend to be the one to raise Damian, if he wants it.

"Easy, Damian wants to stay with me. If Bruce knows about Damian, he won't rest until he gets Damian, and there is no way I'm going to live with Bruce. Three of us know about Damian, one doesn't. You do the math." I state, my voice hard and final. This is one battle I won't lose.

"That won't work, we can't not tell Bruce about his own son," Dick immediately fires back, but the caution in his eyes are apparent. He knows I have a plan. "But something tells me this isn't just about Damian, is it? What do you want?"

"Compromise. I already promised Damian he's going to get a father and I fully intend on seeing it through. So here's the deal, Damian will get to live with Bruce for one week at first, if he likes it he could live there forever. If he doesn't he stays with me," I say, each word like a knife through my heart.

"So what you're saying is, if he doesn't like it Bruce can just forget that he has a son?!" Dick asks, his voice rising with each word. I raise my hands up to get him to shut up so I can explain.

"Look, if he doesn't like it he could stay with me, and you can visit whenever you feel like it, we can set up a system. Basically he could go over to Bruce's once a month. If he does like it, you will be in charge of taking him over to my place every week, he stays with me on weekends." I say with calmness that I don't feel in my voice. Inside I'm shocked. Why is he even thinking about the possibility that Damian will like me, a guy who's homeless, more than a guy who could give him everything money could buy and a brother who's fucking perfect? I'm taken out of my thoughts when Damian, who has been practically mute this visit, decides to speak up.

"I will not live with father," he says. Dick and I could do nothing but stare at him. With that one sentence he has changed all of our game plans. I've never been particularly religious but at this moment I seriously feel like falling on my knees and yelling "Praise the Lord!" and kissing the ground. Dick on the other hand, could not have looked more miserable. I seriously do feel sorry for him but this is the first time in my fucking life that anyone has ever picked me over golden boy and truth be told I'm fucking ecstatic.

* * *

Author's Note: Again, sorry for the long wait. Real life is such a hassle. A big thanks to Kitten1313 for beta-ing this chapter! What did you think of it? If you like this chapter follow, favorite and review! Thank you for reading this and I hope you guys have a great week!


	9. No Shit Golden Boy

No Shit Golden Boy

"You need help."

Those ominous words are my morning greeting as I fall of the couch. Oh, yeah. Last night rushed back towards me, admittedly not one of my finer moments. I seriously could not believe I let Golden Boy fucking carry me, a grown man, to an elevator. I cringe and try my best to forget the past and focus on the present. You need help. There are a lot of ways you expect to be greeted after a rather…eventful family reunion, but that is not one of them. Well, I'm not about to be cooperative anytime soon. So I decide to play around with him for a while.

"No shit, Golden Boy." Here, his whole expression lifts, and his beam is brighter than the sun. That's before I say my next words. "Are you going to get your ass off that chair and help me, or are you going to sit there while someone who died is in need of help." My face outwardly is irritated and tired, but inwardly? Well, I mean I'm still irritated and tired (Golden Boy's bed? Fucking hard)but I'm also laughing, since his face deflates faster than a balloon with it's air let out.

"Jay, I know you're not an idiot, like you lead others to believe. This isn't an order. This is a plea for you to go and get some help. Please Jason, for me? For Damian?"

"First, I wasn't pretending. I did need some help-" I slowly stand up, with a pointed gaze in his direction "- thank you very much. Second, since when does Damian think I'm crazy?"

As if on cue, Damian strides in from the kitchen, slow and steadily, as if he has all the time in the world. His face was haughty and proud, held higher than ever. However, looking at his face closely, I could see the worry in his eyes and how his lips trembled just a little. The kid's obviously upset about something and I'm not naive enough to think I'm the sole cause for it.

"I do not think you are crazy. I simply think you are traumatized and that a little professional-" Here he lets out a disdainful sniff, as if he could not believe than anyone can do a better job than an Al Gaul. "-help would not go amiss. Obviously, I volunteered my help and expertise but Grayson says that a therapist would be more beneficial."

Right on the mark, he's upset that Dickibird insulted his Al Gaul expertise in all areas known to man, but what really touched me is he's willing to let me see the therapist since Dick believes it's better for me. The fact that he, through his actions, admits that he's not the absolute best at something, for me made me feel like a proud parent who's kid just said their first word. I try to disregard the fact that everyone here thinks I need 'help'.

How did I get here, you may ask? With a cramped back and a "plea for me to go and get some help"?

Flashback

We stood in the elevator, engulfed in awkward, tense silence. Honestly if it wasn't so tense I would have been laughing my ass off at the expression on Dickhead's face when Damian had said he would not, under any circumstances, be going with Dick. From the dirty looks Dick kept sending my way, I could tell I wasn't as successful as I would like to have thought. I shit you not, the awkwardness was so palpable that when we stopped on the fourth floor a woman was about to come in. However she took one look at us and hastily made some excuse about "needing exercise" before practically racing to the emergency stairs. I honestly couldn't blame her, I mean a crazy guy, laughing out every few seconds, a ten year old with his nose stuck in the air and a confused looking guy who looked like he was off in lala land. Yeah, I honestly could not blame her.

Seriously, I felt claustrophobic just standing-I will not go there. Yeah, one thing about resurrections. Nightmares about cramped spaces become your life. I had only gotten them twice, but twice was enough to make me never want to have them again. I had never gotten them after that, due to the sheer tiredness of planning and escaping and being on the run. And let's face it, no one gets a good night's sleep on the airplane anyway. After standing in the silence for a few more seconds, we finally reach the first floor. We shuffled out of the elevator before standing outside the building.

"So-" Dick began, looking more lost than I had ever seen him. "What now? We just part ways and forget we were family? Look, Jay, you might not believe this but he misses you. Please come home. You don't want Damian to grow up fatherless, do you?."

Fuck him. He knew that the brat's my weakness and he was using it to his advantage. Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to follow his suggestion so we could all go home and be one big, happy family. But I wouldn't. He was trying to make me feel selfish so I could be a hero and get over my own feelings to do whatever's best for Damian. But we had different views on what's best. I fucking had it with Bruce's fucking ideals and being a 'hero'. I gave him a chance at the airport, and he fucking blew it. If he really does miss me then why didn't he fucking recognize me, why didn't he resurrect me, why the fuck didn't he kill the Joker? I must have said the last part aloud though, since both Damian and Dick were staring straight at me. I bared my teeth and repeated the words, each word fueled with uncontrollable hatred.

"I said why. The. Fuck. Didn't. He. Kill. The. Scumbag. That. Fucking. Killed. Me." Everything melted away at the last word. Suddenly all I could focus on is my hatred and rage. Why didn't he fucking avenge me? I heard a distant thud and could vaguely feel some pain in my hand. Why didn't he try to bring me back? People were screaming. I could register Dick was saying something, but couldn't bring myself to care.

Care. Why didn't he care? All the why's spun in my head, round and round, until I was unable to stand any longer. With a heavy thud, I fell to my knees, all my emotions fighting for dominance. In the end, fury won. My hands were shaking and I could hear someone shouting. I jerked when I felt someone touch me and suddenly everything registered. A coffin. Nails. Screams. I couldn't take it any longer, I began gasping for air, my hands were in front of me as I tried to keep the lid open. No!

The shouting became louder and I started jerking, when suddenly I hear one word. Damian. Suddenly, the darkness no longer engulfed me, everything slowly came back to me. I saw everything broken and shattered around me, and I was holding a broken vase. Blood on my hands. What had I done? Dick, seeing my frantic look, immediately reassured me.

"It's okay, you didn't hurt anyone. Everything is going to be alright," he said in a soothing voice. I noded my head slowly, trying to recall what had just happened. I calmed myself down, before I tried to find my voice again. I wanted to say something along the lines of "Why the fuck should I care?" but ended up saying something else entirely.

"Dick, please don't leave me," I said pathetically, holding on to him like he was my lifeline.

"I won't, Jay," Dick replied, as he hugged me close.

End Flashback

So that is how I find myself holding on for dear life in the back of a motorcycle, clinging to Dick. We must be doing 90 miles an hour but every time we pass a cop, all they do is fucking wave. I'm just about to ask Dick if he'd bribed the cops, when I remember. Oh. Being a cop seems like a seriously tempting job prospect now.

No matter how miserable I am on this bike, Damian is 100 times worse off. He's stuffed into the tiny side car, covering as much of his face as he could, his skin red from embarrassment. An Al Gaul riding in a sidecar, I'm sure I'm going to get an earful the minute we park.

As much as I hate this ride, I hate therapy more. I mean, what could I tell the therapist? "Well, I died. The guy I looked up to dresses up as a bat at night and didn't kill my murderer. Oh, my half brother's mother belongs to a criminal group. How was your day?" Won't exactly work. Just as I'm mulling over the thought, we stop at a pristine white hospital. I hop off the bike and slowly undo my helmet, hoping to waste as much time as possible. However, Dick immediately puts an end to that idea by staring at me throughout the whole process, making me speed up and in no time we were at the counter. I could feel all eyes on me as the chattering stops, the woman behind the counter stares, her face abnormally pale and eyes the size of Jupiter.

"M-Mr. Todd" She stuttered out, frozen.

Realization dawns on Dick and he sheepishly smiles. "Oops?"

I come to the same conclusion as him and try to control my urge to kill him. Figuring that that might be bad PR, instead I squeeze his hand as hard as I could and mutter under my breath. "Fuck You." If looks could kill, he would be 10 feet under by now.

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So there it is. Anyways, I tried something new with the flashback, hopefully it doesn't confuse you or anything. Thanks to Kitten1313 for beta-ing this chapter, it's been a massive help. As always, favorite, follow and review. Thank you so much to all of you who have, you've made my day! Thank you for reading this and have a great day!


	10. Dead But With A Twin

Dead But With A Twin

Here I am, in a therapists room, squeezed into this tiny chair. Honestly, I've imagined my life in a lot of ways, but this is not one of them. After Dick made what was probably the biggest screwup of the fucking decade, we managed to clear it up by the fact that, actually I'm not Jason Todd. That's right, right now I'm Jason Peter Todd's twin, Yeez Bread Todd, the secret adopted son of Bruce fucking Wayne (remind me to never let Dick do the talking again). Yeah, and to think a few hours ago people were giving me a hard time for the name I came up with, at least it makes sense! Anyway, it looks like there is just no way i will be able to get out of this mess without meeting Bruce, not unless he shuts himself from the world for months until headlines stop screaming things like "Dead But With A Twin!", or something like that. I'm pulled out of my thoughts when an annoying voice starts asking me a question.

"Do you perhaps think the reason for your insecurity is the uniqueness of your situation? Perhaps due to the father figure in your life?" The therapist asks, a serious expression on his face. What he probably meant was how a street kid was taken into a mansion and how the "father figure" was a fucking billionaire, not how I came back to fucking life and how the supposed "father figure" dresses up as a bat at night. What a fucked up life I have. Oh wait, I'm supposed to answer the question.

"Insecurity? What insecurity?" I ask cluelessly, wanting to annoy the shit out of him. I could beat him up, but Dick said that if I did anything to that guy, I would be forced to come to even more sessions. Though according to Dickhead, if I behave, I don't have to stare at these ugly gray walls ever again. An hour and a half with an idiot who thinks I'm on the verge of suicide (I can thank Dick for that too), with major daddy issues and my name is Yeez fucking Bread. Oh joy.

Dick's POV

"This isn't what it looks like, you see ummm this isn't Jason Todd," I begin, looking around in desperate hope that a solution will pop up, when I see some lady wearing Yeezy's "This is his twin! This is uh his identical twin Yeez Todd"

If possible, his death glare became even more terrifying, but I just threw him a 'like-you-did-any-better' look.

To my surprise the nurse behind the desk shrugs, seemingly buying the name. "Since you don't have any medical files, we need to create one for you. Would you mind telling us your middle name?" The nurse asks, typing away on the computer. Since Jason seemed so unhappy last time I helped him up, this time I'm leaving him to answer on the spot. Instead of saying anything, he begins looking around wildly, before finally sending me a desperate look. I throw him a smirk, before saying the first thing that comes to mind.

"Bread. Yeez Bread Todd." I say slowly, savoring the moment when Jason's face gets darker with rage, as he struggles to contain himself. If he hadn't made the past day so fucking hard, maybe I would feel a little sorry for him. But now? Not really. I want to get started on booking his appointment, but people immediately start crowding us. Shit, I'd completely forgotten what being recognized as Bruce Wayne's son felt like, suffocating.

"What is your reason for keeping his existence a secret?" A guy in a hoodie asks. Jason again sends me the same desperate look and begins trying to become one with the wallpaper. I guess Jason is still scared of reporters. Who would've thought, a guy who came back from the dead, scared of a few people asking questions. I could really have fun with this.

"The reason has always been hidden is because he suffered from….depression, anxiety and panic attacks he always has had low self esteem and that really is why we wanted him out of the public eye, since we all know how critical it could be." I savor the moment when Jason's face becomes redder than a tomato, maybe he wouldn't be so fast to call me Golden boy next time.

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Author's Note: You have no idea how many times I rewrote this chapter, I couldn't find anything that fit! I even tried a Bruce POV chapter (didn't work out), I tried my best with this chapter so I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry since it's so short. Favorite, follow and review if you do, another thanks to Kitten1313 for beta-ing this chapter! Thanks for reading this and have a wonderful day!


	11. Are You Fucking Kidding Me?

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, writers block. Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this one. Basically I didn't want to write out the whole scene, which is after Jason leaves the room and goes talk to Dick, so I end it rather abruptly and it goes on to the amusement park. Then you're brought to the "present". I'm also starting a new fanfic called "Before Running Away" which is basically all events of Jason's life from stealing the Bat's tires to his death. Then it goes into the beginning of this fanfic. I'll probably post the first chapter of it in a few weeks.

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I could kiss the fucking ground. After a craptastic hour of moronic questions I'm free from that special brand of hell. Well, at least until next week. Fuck my life. I see Damian sitting enthralled by Dick telling a story, and I feel a twinge in my heart. Golden Boy has stolen enough from my life, no way is he stealing my baby brother. I try to look as nonchalant as possible while I walk over.

"-Put him into Arkham and then we went home to a cup of hot chocolate" Dick finishes triumphantly, as if he'd just convinced Bruce not to go on patrol and not as if he'd just told a fucking bedtime story.

"Propagandizing him already?" I ask casually, artfully slumping against the wall.

"Jason, I demand to know if you feel you are mentally stable again. Grayson, wrongfully, thinks that you will take at least a year to be better again."

Ha! Take that Grayson. He likes me best after all. I try to keep from thinking about how childish that sounds. It's not everyday you beat Golden Boy on anything, so I try to take as much pride on each victory as I can. In fact, I'm feeling so good, I'm almost able to ignore how hungry I feel. God, If I'm this hungry, Damian must be starving. Great, now I'm feeling guilty.

"Well, I don't know about mentally stable, but I'm feeling hungry so how about we go grab some chili dogs and then go to an amusement park? Then we can go to book a hotel room and maybe go to the theater I've been telling you about. You're invited too Dickhead," I say it as off handedly as possible, as if the outcome of this doesn't matter that much. Really though, I don't think I'm fooling anyone. (I added a bit here just for a better word flow)

"That is acceptable, Jason," Damian says formally, though his eyes are alight with excitement, probably due to the amount of advertising I've done for chilli dogs during our stay at the compound.

"Well...actually, uhhh, the thing is," Dick stutters and stammers, twiddling with his thumbs and jiggling his legs.

"Just spit it the fuck out already," I snap, not really having the patience to deal with anyone at the moment, except Damian though I'd never admit it.

"Well, uhhh, IneedtogobacktothemanortomorrowandIwanttobringDamianwithme," Dick says so fast, I almost didn't catch it. I immediately narrow my eyes, hoping against all hope I've heard wrong while wondering if my expression is as incredulous as Damian's. I try to go about this in a calm manner, while unconsciously putting my hand on Damian's shoulder.

"And if Damian does go with you, what will be the story? When will he be back?" I ask for Damian's sake, while praying all the while that he comes down with some kind of 24-hour illness that makes him unable to leave Nightwing's city.

"See, it's not just Damian's whose going. The thing is I kinda told Bruce that there's two people coming with me to this party and since there's going to be a lot of people if you don't show up Bruce will get suspicious. So you won't be meeting him under your own terms." To his credit, Dick sounded incredibly guilty, however at the moment, I'm too tired to give much of a shit.(I took out a few words here so again the flow works better. )

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I yell, freaking the fuck out about what the absolute fuck I'm going to do about this mess. Just when I thought I have left the hell that is therapy I'm pushed into yet another craptastic situation by none other than the Dickhead himself.

"Jason,please-" Dick is literally begging me now, sounding like one of those "animals are going extinct" PSA's.

"Nice try," I sneer, my voice hard as steel. "No fucking way."

I consider the case closed and just when I'm about to turn to leave, Damian holds my hand.

"Jason, I want you there." Damian sounds younger than ever, I try to hold my ground but I must've gotten soft, since I find myself agreeing.

"How bad could it be?" I say, trying to sound more confident than I actually feel. I think I actually succeeded too, if you disregard the fact that my hands are actually shaking.

"I thought you said you won't-" Dick starts in a sing song voice, beaming wider than should be legal and making me want to castrate him.

"Shut up." I growl, trying to intimidate him. Judging by the fact that he smiles even wider, I can't even do that properly and I tower over him at 6'2. I really am pathetic.

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This is fucking awkward. All the parents around me are taking thousands of photos and waving at their children. Damian, however, had absolutely insisted that I was to sit with my back turning towards him, since he didn't want to be embarrassed by the "plebeian behavior". So here I am, a teenager in the midst of 30-40 year olds, with my back turned to the ride, twiddling my thumbs awkwardly. Yeah, not suspicious at all.

The only good thing that's come out of this is that Dickhead has the grace to leave us the fuck alone and Damian's happy. For some reason the first thought doesn't make me as happy as it should. Those chili dogs however, had felt like crawling into a soft, warm bed after a long day, knowing you have absolutely no responsibility tomorrow. Utter bliss. While Damian had turned his nose up to everything to do with the amusement park at first, he'd loosened up enough to eat the chili dog that I'd ordered for him. Then he had ordered another. I felt so proud, as if I had just saved the world. Was this what Br-no He-Who-I-Am-Not-Going-To-Name-With-A-Bat-Fetish. I will not call that man by his name again if I could help it. Even if that meant I'd sound like a Potterhead, I'd take my chances.

At least people won't know I failed English. God, and her shrill voice seems like a lifetime away. Ironically enough, it is a lifetime away. Just as I'm about to turn back to see if I could at least catch a glimpse of Damian, a voice I never thought I'd hear again cut through my thoughts.

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Honestly, I know this wasn't very funny. I swear the next chapter will be more amusing. Hint: Jason had a dream about the person once and it's not the Joker. A big thanks to my Beta Kitten1313, though I'm going to post this before sending it to Kitten1313, then update it later, because I'm scared I'll procrastinate again. As always, favorite, follow, review and have a great day!


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